


gods amongst men.

by CaseyJuTardis



Series: Gods amongst men [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Death, GTAV - Freeform, Gender Dysphoria, Gods AU, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Multi, Mythology - Freeform, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Queer Themes, Trans Female Character, Trans Jack, Violence, other mythologies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 04:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5771011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaseyJuTardis/pseuds/CaseyJuTardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>fahc gods au. everyone's an ancient god, fallen from grace and doing what they can to find their loved ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. intro. geoff & jack.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, another AU from me B) this one is FAHC!Gods AU, based on a post I made on my tumblr, jcckpattillo. go check it out? It should be under the "FAHC gods au" tag.

Upon creation, the Earth sits still. The dirt does not move, the air is warm and stagnant, the water freezes and melts with passing seasons. Out of that stillness, two beings form from the meeting of Uranus and Gaia- Metis and Hestia blink towards the sun. These two beings hold close to one another, feeding off of their shared power to grow up fast and be independent. Together, Metis and Hestia watched as Titans fell, Gods rose, and civilizations were born. The fallen Gods and Titans flocked to Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and they died in peace. She oversaw their deaths, held their bodies close so they could feel the warmth of the fire in her heart and in her eyes, and as the stars in their eyes faded, she took that last light, and fed the flames. 

Metis stood behind Hestia, supporting her back when the weight of the dying became too much. She gazed upon the dying deities, overlooking their uprisings and downfalls, and she learned. Hestia and Metis pressed close to one another every day, galaxy hands and meteor hair slotting together in an odd dance. 

When Greece fell, Hestia and Metis parted ways. For the time being. They left each other with a trinket, a mark, and a promise. Not necessarily in that order. 

Metis often held her trinket close, a star within a glass ball, shaken out from Hestia’s eyelashes. She feels the mark every day, a fire burning over her heart, on her left breast. Her promise to Metis was almost a branding, burned into skin; “Si minus in praesens, mox.” ‘If not now, soon.’

Hestia used the trinket Metis left her every day- a worn, used leather-bound notebook, with endless pages and a never ending pen to write with. The mark of Metis sits just underneath her hair on her neck, a small crown of stars. Her promise hid in the shell of Hestia’s ear; “Deus, perpetua libertas.” ‘Eternal, never-ending freedom’.

They parted with a searing kiss, and a lingering touch. They gathered their things, and left the ruins of Olympus behind. They noticed other Gods leaving as well- Ares and Hephaestus fled together, previous quarrels forgiven and forgotten; they grabbed Prometheus on their way out, relieving him of his eternal torment, finally. Athena, Clymene, and Nemesis flee together, patrons of war and battle stick together. Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis, and Plutus run together, uncaring of the supposed divide between Titans and Gods. 

Hestia recalls seeing Hermes ride away on a mighty dragon, the marks of Nemea streamlining together from the speed it flew. She does not recall anyone else flee. The fall of Greece and Olympus itself was a brief moment, and an eternity all the same. The crumbling of golden columns and silver arches broke their hearts, drove them to run alone, to think for themselves and not for their fellow gods. 

When gods fell from their clouds, they fell silently. No crashing lightning, no exploding thunder, no whipping winds to soften their fall. They fall silently, newly formed physical bodies having to adjust to the astronomically older soul forced into flesh and bones, mouths open in a silent, agonizing scream. When they land, they feel every clod of dirt, every cluster of bones, every wiggling worm beneath their bodies. They can no longer feel their connection to Olympus, to their friends, to their home. The embers at the back of their minds is gone, extinguished. Olympus was gone.

~~

Hazel eyes narrow towards blue hues, hesitation, mistrust, and caution evident between the two. Their movements seem like an ancient dance, circling each other in a darkened alley behind a seedy grocery store; but on a battlefield, millennia ago, spears and armor polished and ready to kill and defend.

A hand twitches, and suddenly knives and hands are clashing, a slash across the cheek, a strong fist pushed into the stomach, and they fall away again. The blue eyed boy’s cheek is bleeding, the hazel eyed kid is gasping for breath, but they do not look away. Someone sneers, and they’re fighting again. It takes minutes hours days years- for them to settle again, the kid getting the boy in a strong headlock that’s close to choking.

“Do you yield?” A shaky voice asks. Blue eyes grunts, squirms sharply once more, and nods. The kid lets him go, and they break away to opposite sides of the alleyway. Their eyes finally break contact, dark brows falling in mutual submission, just for the moment. 

“Geoff.” Blue eyes speaks up. His voice cracks, trembles, shatters the fragile silence that’s formed, but he felt it needed to be said. He hadn’t been beaten in a long, long time.

The kid looks up from tending a cut along their arm- Geoff still can’t tell their gender. They nod sharply, and look back down. “Jacqueline. Call me Jack, though.” Geoff tilts his head.

“That’s a girls name-” Jack’s head shoots back up, eyes narrowed and daring Geoff to cross that line. “Are you a girl?” Geoff asks. Jack nods, and they fall silent once more. 

“That’s okay. Do you- I have some more clothes stored up where I’m hidden. Some of them are girl’s clothes-” Geoff cuts himself off, unsure as to how to continue without fucking it up somehow. Jack ties off the strip of cloth covering a gash on her arm, and finally looks up to Geoff. 

“I’d appreciate it. I’m not offering my body for them, and I don’t have any money.” Her voice is quiet now, but there’s venom beyond measure behind it. Geoff’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head so violently he nearly knocks his head against the wall.

“I don’t- no! I don’t need any of that. I’ve got some money to spare. I can’t share much, I have more clothing than money.” Jack nods, but doesn’t move to get up. Geoff can’t tell how old she is. Her hair is jaggedly cut short to follow her jawline, and there’s a thin, wispy beard growing on her chin, a few bald patches and scars showing how hard she tried to get rid of it. Her hands are covered in cuts and bruises, her pinkie finger is set at an odd angle, and her eyes look ancient. Geoff can’t help but be reminded of himself. 

Jack eventually stands up, and offers a hand to Geoff. He grabs her hand, hoists himself up, and off they go. They’re both limping and stumbling into each other, but Jack can’t help but be thankful of Geoff’s acceptance. 

~~

“Geoff, I-I can’t do th-this, could you-?” Jack’s hands are trembling violently, and she’s holding out a pair of scissors to him. Her eyes are dry, but Geoff can see the sadness in them. She couldn’t cut her own hair because her hands were too shaky. She hated it when her hair got too long- someone could easily grab it in a fight- but shorter hair meant she was taken as a boy too often. She hated it so much. 

Geoff easily took the scissors from his best friend, settling down behind her. “You want it like you normally have it?” He asked, gathering her hair behind her. 

“Yeah, follow the jaw.” She murmured, fidgeting her fingers on her lap. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, sighing away the dysphoria that clawed at her brain. 

Geoff hummed quietly, and began to cut. He’d never cut someone else’s hair- only his own. He’d seen Jack do it before, though, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Their shitty, one bathroom apartment made for a tight squeeze, but they managed well enough. Geoff cut away the slightly singed ends of Jack’s hair, and moved to the back of her hair, where it was closest to the hairline. It would be the hardest, because it was so easy to fuck up a hairline- Geoff knew from too many times of having a dent in his hair right in the middle of his fucking forehead. He snipped away a small chunk of hair gently, and froze at what he found. 

“Geoff? You… you alright?” Jack asked after the prolonged silence. She started to fidget, worried that Geoff had accidentally cut her skin, and she just hadn’t noticed. She turned slightly when she got no answer, but Geoff’s hand on her neck stopped her. His fingers pressed to the top of her neck gently, just under her hairline. What was he- oh. “Geoff, what-”

“Ἑστία.” He whispered, his voice seeming to echo through her head. Jack froze, hand halfway up to grab at Geoff’s hand. She recognized that voice-

“Μῆτις?” She whispered, voice nearly shaking the windows. Jack finally stood, turning to face her lifelong friend, and found him exposing the skin over his heart. A small tattoo of a fire was etched in, “Metis.” Jack breathed, lifting a shaking hand to the tattoo.

“Hestia… it is you, isn’t it?” Geoff whispered, watery eyes staring into hers. Jack nodded after a moment, and Geoff smiled. He crushed her to him, laughing through the tears that threatened to fall. “After all these years, it really is you.” Jack clung to her friend tightly, fingers threatening to rip the back of Geoff’s shirt. She could hear the fluttering of Metis in Geoff’s chest- they didn’t have normal human heartbeats, just their souls contained in human flesh. The ancient song of intelligence sang under Geoff’s skin, cries of both death and victory melding together. Hestia was happy. 

Geoff clung to Jack like a lifeline, muttering words in Greek over and over again, like a mantra, “Σπίτι, Σπίτι, Σπίτι, Σπίτι, Σπίτι.” 

_“Home, home, home, home, home.”_


	2. gavin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin comes into the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry 'bout the wait, here's Chapter 2!

“Me- _Geoff,_ I found us someone new.” Jack spoke into the phone. This someone new was a skinny stick of a boy, crazy blonde hair going every which way, nervous eyes darting back and forth between Jack and the door. She had already assured the poor boy she had no intentions of hurting him, but he still flinched slightly in fear whenever she looked at him. 

Several years after having found each other, Jack and Geoff formed a crew. It had no name yet, and it was only the two of them, but they were putting themselves out there- a dynamic duo with incredible skills in murder and grand heists. They had only a symbol- a black star in a green circle, with a dripping white joystick in the center. 

Jack took care of foreign affairs. She flew out to potential business partners, speaking to bosses about drug or money runs, boundary lines, possible alliances, things to watch out for, etc. She was in the outskirts of California now, heading back to her hotel room after speaking to a boss, when someone bumped into her from behind.

“Whoa, hey there, buddy!” Jack stepped away quickly, doing a quick once-over of herself and the person who bumped her. The boy was fine, but she was not- her phone was missing! The brat had stolen it! Her eyes narrowed dangerously- she had never allowed herself to get pick pocketed before, all the punks who tried ended up scampering away from her in fear, metaphorical tail tucked between their legs. This brat had the nerve to look innocent, if apologetic for bumping into her.

“Sorry, ma’am! Didn’ see you there.” The boy mumbled, ducking his head down and starting to walk away. Jack frowned deeply, and crossed her arms. 

“Give it back, please. I won’t ask again.” She spoke quietly, but her voice boomed in the boy’s ears. He flinched violently, then spun back to her, eyes wide.

“What- what do you mean, ma’am? I-I didn’t take-” Jack’s eyes narrowed more, and her eyebrow cocked upwards. The boy gulped, and color tinged his tan cheeks. “S-Sorry, ma’am.” He rustled in his pocket, and gave Jack her phone back. She smiled, all teeth and no warmth, and took it back gently. 

“And the money that was in the case, punk.” She said, smile not dropping. Her stare unnerved the boy- just the way she liked it. The kid blinked rapidly, and handed her back the few bills she kept tucked into her phone case. “Don’t know how you managed to sneak that away from me, kid, but you’re good. Just try it on someone who isn’t in the mob.” Her smile finally morphed from teeth to lips, smile lines making her face gentler. The boy blinked in confusion, and then his eyes widened in realization. 

“ _Oh._ ” His voice was horrified- he could very easily die in the next few seconds for his actions. “Ma’am, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I’m just s-so _hungry,_ and I thought it was your _wallet-_ ” The boy’s shaking hands wiped at his face, thin, thin fingers scratching at hollow, red cheeks in anxiety. 

Jack’s heart broke. It wasn’t the first time someone had tried to take what was hers, but it was the first time someone succeeded. This kid was really just _hungry,_ and desperate. It wasn’t too long ago that that was her and Geoff, honestly. She could also see a lot of potential in this kid- deft fingers and a charming attitude that could put even the tensest bosses at ease; with a little bit of food and persuasion, the kid could fit in well in their budding crew. 

“Kid- it’s alright. I can get you some food and a place to stay tonight, if you’d like.” Jack stepped closer to the boy, touching his shoulder gently, and sending a wave of comfort through him. The trembling subsided, but the boy still sniffled. “What’s your name, kid? I can’t just call you boy for the rest of the day.” 

“G-Gavin, ma’am. What’s your name?” Gavin peered from between his fingers. 

“Jack. C’mon, Gav, let’s get you something light to eat, okay? I’ve got the rest of the day free, so you can choose where to go.” 

Gavin finally dropped his hands from his face, and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Thank you, ma’am.” 

Jack laughed lightly, and they walked to her car. “None of that ma’am business, just Jack is fine, Gav.”

~~

“What do you mean, _someone new?_ ” Geoff’s tinny voice asked back. 

“Exactly what you think, Geoff! His name’s Gavin; scrawny kid stole my phone right from my pocket. He was hungry and desperate- I got some food in his stomach.” Jack answered. Geoff grunted, and silence fell for a brief moment. 

“Alright, bring him back with you. If you think he’ll do well, then I trust you.” Geoff finally spoke up. “Do you- _Νομίζετε ότι αυτός είναι ένας από εμάς?_ ” Geoff switched to Metis briefly, voice becoming feminine and wispy just for a moment. _Do you think he’s one of us? ___

“Will do. _Δεν είμαι σίγουρος. Ίσως αυτός είναι._ ” Hestia responded in kind, quietly so Gavin didn’t hear her. _I’m not sure, perhaps he is._ She bid Geoff a goodbye, and took Gavin out for a simple dinner. The boy was extremely grateful of what she was doing for him, offering himself as payment because he didn’t have any money. Jack refused strongly, saying that if he heard out her proposition, that was all the payment she needed. 

__She questioned Gavin about his life, where he was from and where he wanted to go. The boy was not a boy, but a young-looking 19 year old, abandoned by his parents on a vacation in California from England. He had taken an intense interest in computers when he was younger, and wanted to get into hacking. _Another possibility, then._ Jack explained her story, and said that she was interested in bringing him into the crew. _ _

__Gavin was hesitant, to say the least. He was grateful for what Jack did for him, but he still didn’t quite _trust_ her. She was a _killer_ , a murderer that enjoyed her job. Jack gave him the night to think it over, before she had to leave to head back to Geoff. _ _

__The next morning, Gavin was gone from the hotel room. The rags he was wearing the previous day were still there, along with the meager belongings he had on his person, but the boy himself was gone. Jack began packing for her trip back, when there was a knock on the door. It was Gavin._ _

__“Sorry, Jack. Had to say goodbye to someone before I left.” Gavin explained, brow wrinkled tightly. Jack cocked an eyebrow, but nodded. She didn’t press further, because it was none of her business. She tucked away Gavin’s belongings along with hers in her bags, bought another plane ticket for him, and off they went._ _

__~~_ _

__At first, Geoff hated Gavin. His abrasive, loud attitude clashed harshly with Geoff’s laid back, relaxed view on life. Jack could see that Gavin was trying. The loud was a mask that he wore, and Gavin was too far out of his comfort zone to let it fall away. It took time, but Geoff warmed up to him. And they didn’t speak of being different in front of Gavin. Better to keep that under wraps._ _


	3. michael & lindsay & ray.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael, Lindsay, Ray.

Geoff is rudely awoken by Gavin’s cackle from the living room of the slightly bigger apartment they bought. He can hear Jack in the shower, getting ready for the day, so he finally gets up and wanders into the living room. Gavin has the national news channel up on the TV, reporting a crime happening live. A huge explosion knocks the front of a building up, and out March three forms. The main man in front, a curly, red haired kid with intense freckles and a mini-gun, was shouting to the police that had formed a wide perimeter around the building. The two figures behind him, a man and a woman, also held their own special weapons. The man had a bright pink sniper rifle, and the woman had a bright red flamethrower attached to her hip. From what the reporter was saying, the man in front was simply named _Mogar,_ and the other two had no names. 

Another explosion bursts all the windows of the building, and the nearby police cars, wide open, sending more people scattering away. Gavin cackles again, and turns to Geoff. “We gotta get these guys, Geoff! This _Mogar,_ is awesome, and the other two are badass!” He exclaims, evil grin stretched wide across his face. Geoff can’t help but laugh, and he finally sits next to the lad. They watch the rest of the story in silence, and eventually Jack joins them on the couch. By the time the story is over, and the newswoman has moved on to a different story, Jack’s up and typing away at her computer, trying to find more information about _Mogar,_ and his two friends.

~

It takes two months to locate the group of fighters. From what Jack found, Michael and Lindsay, the red-haired woman, were brawlers, and Ray, the other guy, was their sniper. Based on the east coast, Jack and Gavin fly out together to see if they can find them and set up a meeting. Gavin finds Ray first, his boisterous and manic energy combining with Ray’s laid-back nature to make them, seemingly, one normal person. 

Ray smiles easily at them both when they first meet. “You guys from another crew?” He asks, his darker face lighting up. Jack simply nods, and Gavin is her lookout- standing just behind her and constantly moving to make sure no one snuck up behind them. “You wanna talk to Mogar, then?” He asks, and Jack nods again. He buys his food- they bumped into him in a grocery store- and leads them to their tiny apartment. “He’ll be here in about an hour. I… I gotta warn you- he’s not gonna be very nice when he first walks in.” Ray says, setting his food down and ushering Jack and Gavin into the kitchen. He offers drinks, both declining, and they head to the living room instead. The apartment is small, run down, and dark- it reminds Jack of her and Geoff’s first apartment. “Mogar’s the leader of our tiny crew, and what he says, goes. If you explain what you wanna say well enough, he _will_ listen to you, but he’s not gonna be nice about it. Lindsay is a little nicer, but when they’re together, there’s no stopping them.” He explains, grabbing the three xbox controllers from the table and offering them to the two visitors. Jack declines, but Gavin takes him up on his offer happily, and they play video games for an hour and a half, when Michael and Lindsay walk in. 

Ray immediately pauses the game, and stands up to put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Guys- they’re friendly.” He says, voice low and even. Michael is still not moving from the doorway, fists shaking and face slowly going red. Lindsay shoves her way into the apartment, eyes narrowed and hand hovering just behind her back. “I swear, they haven’t tried anything in the 2 hours I’ve known them, they just wanna talk to Mogar.” Ray says, shattering the uneasy, tense silence that had fallen. Mogar’s head snaps up at the name, redness dissipating from his cheeks rather quickly. Lindsay’s hand falls back down, but she still doesn’t move.

“They wanna talk to me? Fine. Let’s talk.” Mogar hisses, throwing his bag into the kitchen and going to stand in front of the TV. Gavin and Jack had already stood up by now, showing that Jack towered over them all, but Mogar just barely made up for it in bulk. “What the fuck do you want from us?” He grunts, arms crossed over his chest firmly, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. 

Jack speaks up now. “We have a crew. Not from around here- in Los Santos. We have one more back at home. We all saw your news story a few months ago, and we liked what we saw. We want you three on our crew.” She states simply, arms crossing over her chest as well, legs separating to make her stance wider. Gavin’s eyes kept flitting between Mogar, Lindsay, Ray, Jack, and the door of the apartment, uneasiness written plain across his face. Jack could see that it was just a mask- she knew the hand in his jacket pocket was on his customized gun he had made last month, ready to fire at whoever tried anything funny. 

“Fuck outta here. You think we haven’t had that spiel already? What makes you so different?” Mogar spits again, pointing a finger in Jack’s direction and making Gavin startle slightly. Jack shrugs easily, her serious face fading into an easier expression. 

“Dunno, really. We’re called the Fake AH Crew.” Jack shifts in place, and Hestia sits up in her mind. The situation was getting close to dangerous. 

“What kind of name is Mogar, anyway? It sounds like it came out of a Renaissance history book.” Gavin speaks up, shit-eating grin firmly in place. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say- Mogar’s face reddened again, his fists were trembling, the room began to heat up and Hestia could feel the air vibrating with rage-

“ _Michael._ ” Ray finally spoke. A wave of _calm_ passed through the room, and Hestia took notice- the way the air shivered and bent around Ray’s voice was not entirely _human._ “Give us a second, I need to talk to them.” He muttered, grabbing Mogar’s and Lindsay’s wrists, dragging them to the kitchen. 

Gavin breathed a sigh of relief, and took his hand back out of his pocket. “That went well.” He muttered. Jack chuckled, and they simply waited for the three to come back in. 

Lindsay eventually walked back into the living room, alone. She looked angry, but not as bad as when she arrived. “Give us three days. We’ll let you know then.” And with that, she walked back into the kitchen. Jack glanced over at Gavin, and with a shrug, they both left. Jack tossed a card with her number on it onto the table. 

~

Ray calls them back three days later, saying that they were willing to join. All three of them show up in the lobby of the hotel Jack and Gavin were staying at, arms laden with bags of their things. Ray _actually_ has his pink sniper rifle strung over his shoulders, and no one was reacting to it, so Jack assumed it was a normal occurrence. 

Michael and Lindsay remained relatively quiet the entire flight back to Los Santos. Ray and Gavin chattered easily to each other, occasionally including Jack in their conversation. 

Geoff liked them all instantly.


	4. ryan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan.

Their crew was quickly becoming notorious. The bond of Michael and Gavin being the flash and the bang was the loudest- Gavin distracts and Michael dives in for the kill. 

Ray and Jack were the quiet killers- Ray had his sniper rifle, and Jack was silent on her feet when she wanted to be. Lindsay and Geoff were the con men. They knew their way around the business, and used their connections to make more money. 

Jack’s the one to find Ryan first. She literally runs into him in an alley, front-to-back and head-first into the pavement. She claps a hand around his mouth, and pulls them both back into the darkness of the building. The police run by, and Jack doesn't move for several minutes. 

She finally lets go of his mouth, and leaps away from the man. It takes her a moment to realize that he's like her- there's some minor, smeared face paint hiding his features, knife in his hand, gun in his pocket. 

“Easy,” she breathes, hands up and out and empty. His hair is wild and there's a wide gash across his tattered shirt, bleeding sluggishly. His eyes are wild and dangerous, flicking between Jack and the mouth of the alley. “You… you need help with that?” She gestures to the wound, but otherwise doesn't move. The man’s eyes target her hand, but he shakes himself out. The man still can’t seem to focus on anything else, so Jack starts to think he has a concussion. “Here, I’m gonna step closer-” She starts, and follows her words. 

The first step makes the man tense, but he doesn’t move otherwise. The next few make the tension in his shoulders relax slightly, and just before Jack puts a hand on his shoulder, he puts the knife away. “Easy, now…” She murmurs, like speaking to a wounded animal. She gently ushers him back to the wall, and sets him down, kneeling next to him. The wound isn’t deep- it’s just bleeding slowly because the man hasn’t done anything to stop it. “I’m gonna use your shirt to clean this up, and then I’ll take you to my apartment- I can finish cleaning it up there.” The man simply nods, but he still hasn’t said a word. 

As Jack limps the both of them home, she shoots Geoff a text-

[msg sent: geoff]: bringing another stray around. need bandages and rubbing alcohol.  
[msg received: geoff]: will do; linsday’s here, but the other lads are out bevving. 

“Almost there,” She whispers to the man, and he grunts in acknowledgement. He must be more hurt than the wound. Jack ushers him up the three flights of steps to the bigger apartment they all share, and sets him down on the toilet lid to start cleaning his wound up. “You know the drill. This is gonna hurt, but I have a couch you can crash on till it heals.” She explains, dabbing at the long wound with an alcohol-soaked cloth.

Linsday pokes her head into the bathroom. “You need anything else, Jack?” She asks.

“New shirt, and more washcloths.” Jack responds, settling the final bandage on the wound. She’s seen how badly the man’s hands are shaking- he’s in no state to wash the paint off his face. Linsday drops off the extra stuff, and leaves them alone. “Can you tell me your name?” She asks as she dabs the paint away gently.

“Hm-- Vagabond.” He croaks, voice low and rough from lack of use. Jack pauses in her cleaning, and raises an eyebrow.

“A name I can use?” She resumes cleaning.

“... Ryan.” He finally murmurs after a few minutes of silence. Jack smiles slightly, and nods. 

“That’s better. Want to tell me how you got like this, Ryan?” 

“Last crew decided they were done with their attack dog.” He nearly spits, face pulling up into an ugly, dangerous expression. Jack passes the warm cloth over his cheekbone, smoothing the expression out. 

“Hm. Their name?” She asks, casual as if asking about his day. 

“Marabunta Grande.”

Her cleaning pauses, but resumes quickly. “Geoff!” She calls out, turning her head to the open door. A moment passes, and Geoff appears in the doorway. Jack turns back to Ryan, wiping away the last of the paint. “Marabunta Grande.” She simply says, cleaning up and handing Ryan the new shirt. Geoff glances between Jack, Ryan, and the bloody towels in the sink, and nods before turning away. 

“Alright, you should be good to take a nap! My room’s the one all the way at the end of the hall, to the right; Geoff sleeps there too, so if he’s in there, don’t worry about it. Three other guys live here, but they’re bar hopping tonight; they’ll be back by morning.” She explains, helping Ryan up and to the couch. He sits down, and she offers him some blankets and a pillow. “Sleep well, Ryan.” She says, and goes to bed as well.

~ 

Ryan wakes up the next morning with extra people in the room. Three guys he doesn’t recognize- must be the three Jack talked about yesterday. He sits up, and feels at the wound on his chest- completely healed. 

“Mornin’, sleepyhead.” Someone says. Ryan looks up, and it’s the dark-haired guy, grinning at him. The other two glance up, but quickly return to their video games. It’s the most surreal thing Ryan’s ever experienced; to be accepted into someone’s life this easily.


	5. interlude: gender.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief blurb about gender amongst the Fakes.

It's been years now, and Jack knows she's willing to die for her family. It'd be hard to kill her- to kill any of them, really, but more on that later- because her body is not made of skin and bones. It's the essence of all her experience and years, condensed into a flawed body. Her fall from Olympus created a jagged maw through her life, making her body come out male. How wrong it felt, she thinks. Some of the other gods don't mind how their bodies came out, but it burned her up inside. Geoff never bothered her about it, knowing how bad it made her feel sometimes. 

A few strays they've picked up over the years are like her, too. Jeremy Dooley, a short but mighty guy with a big smile on his face, was a demi guy. Sometimes he came out of his room in the penthouse with brightly colored nails and an oversized sweater and eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man- and Jack loved them all the more for it.

Caleb was agender. They were the Fake’s main nurse, and everyone loved them. They were sharp, witty, but warm and kind. They always made sure to meet with every new member of the Fakes to mark down any medical details they needed to know, and they somehow knew every single member by name. 

Kdin Jenzen was still slightly quiet about how she identified. Her pronouns were feminine, but she still appeared masculine, didn't mind if strangers called her a guy; Jack didn't mind. She made sure Kdin knew she had someone to turn to if needed. 

Jack loved each and every member of the Fakes. They were her family, and she's willing to die for them. 

It still baffles her to know that they're all Gods, too. 


	6. burnie & matt h & gus & joel & everyone else.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> burnie, matt h, gus, joel, everyone else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in general, if it's in italics and being spoken, it's in ancient greek

“I’ve got some friends coming in soon.” Geoff says one morning.

 

Jack looks up from her phone on the couch, brow scrunched in confusion. “Do I know them?” She asks, sitting up fully. Michael and Gavin fall quiet, and turn to listen.

 

“Don’t think so- they were from before I met you. Group of four guys I met on the streets, helped me figure out what the fuck I was doing.” He explains, wandering around the main living room, looking for something. “They’ll be here this afternoon; they wanted to meet the rest of the crew.” 

 

“Who’s gonna be here?” Ryan steps in from the hall, face bare and hair up in a small ponytail. 

 

“Old friends of mine.”

 

“Hmph. I’ll be at the shooting range, text me when they get here.”

 

Gavin can’t help but roll his eyes. “Someone’s edgy.” He mutters. Ryan flips him off as he heads out the door, and Geoff laughs from his belly. 

 

His friends arrive late afternoon, and they stayed for dinner. None of the crew recognized the older guys, and none of the older guys knew the crew- except for Geoff. 

 

A knock on the door seemed to create an odd hush throughout the penthouse. It took Geoff a moment to get up and actually go to the door, and open it. 

 

“Geoff, you old fuck!” A voice called out, before Geoff gave a solid  _ oomph _ as he was hugged. Jack stood up, and headed over to greet her guests as well, and came across an odd sight. A man, older than Geoff but not by much, had an arm slung over his shoulder, chatting animatedly with Geoff and the other guys. It took them all a moment to realize Jack was there, and when they did, some glanced over at Geoff with a brow raised. 

 

_ “Jack, these are my old friends.”  _ Geoff started, in Ancient Greek. The ‘old friends’ frantically glanced among each other and to Jack, who just rolled her eyes. 

 

_ “They're like us, then?”  _ She asked, arms crossed but lips twitching into a smile. Geoff nodded. 

 

_ “Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis, and Plutus.”  _ Geoff responded, pointing to the corresponding person. Jack perked up internally- she remembered Mnemosyne and Themis as  _ goddesses _ ; were they trans too?

 

“ _ Hestia.  _ But you can call me Jack.” She spoke, nodding to everyone. 

 

“Burnie.” Hyperion spoke up, an odd light shining from his eyes.  _ Show off,  _ Jack thought fondly. 

 

“Matt.” Mnemosyne said, nodding back. 

 

“Gus.” Themis; and-

 

“Joel. Your hair looks like copper- I like it.” Plutus said, stepping forward to touch Jack’s hair. All she did was raise a brow and look at the others, who just shrugged. 

 

“C’mon now, let's move inside to meet the others.” She said, gently tugging her hair from Joel’s grip and turning into the house. The others followed happily, chattering with Geoff about anything and everything. When they all stepped into the main living room, Jack saw Michael, Lindsay, Gavin, and Ray all stand. A door opened off in one of the halls, and Ryan stepped out, hair slightly damp, but otherwise well kept. 

 

“Everyone, these are my old friends--  Burnie, Matt, Joel, and Gus.” Geoff introduced, each man identified giving a wave or a nod. “Guys, this is my crew. You already met  _ Hest--” _ Geoff stuttered, eyes wide and full of panic as he glances over to his crew, hoping they didn’t hear that. 

 

Nearly everyone’s face is blanched white. Michael’s is red against pale freckles, two sharp dots on his cheeks. Gavin looks mostly confused, glancing between everyone rapidly.

 

“Was that ancient Greek, Geoff?” Ray breaks the silence, voice hesitant but strong, confident in what he says. A cold sweep passes through Geoff, Metis shivering under the intense anxiety. He nods after a moment. “Figured. I’m Pasithea.” Ray replies, an easy smile sliding across his face. He acted like he was talking about the fucking weather, not the fact that he was ancient like the rest of them.

 

“You too?” Geoff croaks, panic subsiding- but only slightly. Ray nods. 

 

“Ares.” Michael grunts, the red fading away to turn back into his normal, lightly tanned skin.

 

“Nemesis.” Ryan murmurs, worry and panic seeming to disappear from his eyes.

 

“Are you guys gods too?!” Gavin blurts, eyes still mildly confused. Lindsay seems the same, brow furrowed. Everyone nods back. “All Greek?” Another round of nods, and Gavin frowns. “That’s not fair-- I’m Norse! Loki.” He grumbles, his bottom lip jutting out a pout as he crosses his arms. 

 

“I’m Egyptian. Bastet.” Lindsay speaks up, smirking at Gavin’s antics. 

 

“What the fuck.” Burnie states, astonishment an obvious shared emotion between everyone. “Really? Everyone in here is a god? What the actual fuck?”

 

Jack can’t help but break out a watery smile. She’s found others like her again.

 

“Metis.” Geoff finally speaks up.

  
“Hestia.” Jack murmurs.


	7. caleb & matt b & jeremy & kdin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> caleb, matt b, jeremy, kdin. warning for use of a queer slur. again, dialogue in italics is in ancient greek.

In a grimy, darkened alley in the heart of the city, three figures sit, huddled up against the side of a building. They sit close, facing each other and sharing body heat. The sudden sound of frantic footsteps makes them perk up and turn their heads in the direction of the mouth of the alleyway. The figure that appears and steps into the shadows lets the three relax once more, and they shuffle around to give the new person room. 

“This is all I could grab. I lost them about five blocks back, so we should be good for now.” The new person speaks up, handing the spoils of their venture out to the others. They each take what is offered happily, tearing open the snack bags and starting to eat. The four eat slowly, savoring each and every bite, because they didn’t know when their next meal would be. The stocky one finishes their food first, and holds his hands out to the center of their little circle- palms facing up, hands slightly cupped. 

“C’mon, Matt, let’s get a fire going.” He explains, and Matt nods, setting his food down for the moment. Matt sets his hands over the others’, and closes his eyes in concentration. A moment passes in silence, and Matt lifts his hands to show a small flame in the cupped palm of the other. 

“There’s a metal mixing bowl in a dumpster two blocks up, will that work?” The thief asks. The one that had remained silent tilted their head, and nodded. 

“Grab dry newspaper and it should last.” They explained. The thief nodded, and sprang up, running out of the alley. The one with the fire in his hands brought the flame closer to his chest, eyes closed in concentration. “Whaddaya doin’, Jeremy?”

“Keepin’ it going, Kdin.” Jeremy responds, brow furrowed. Kdin nods, and the three lapse into an easy silence once more. 

Eventually, the thief returns-- a large metal bowl in one hand, a small stack of newspapers in the other. “Perfect.” Kdin comments, and holds her hands up towards the thief. “Thank you, Caleb.”

Caleb flops down once more, and smiles brightly. “Doin’ my job.” They hand Kdin their spoils, and lean against Matt easily. Kdin sets the bowl down in the center, and tosses in several crumpled balls of newspaper. She glances over to Jeremy, who nods, and brings his fire to the bowl. The small flame jumps from his hands to the newspaper, and Kdin takes a deep breath, and blows on the flame gently. The flame grows quickly, steadily, until it lights up the four people’s faces easily. The four smile, and huddle close together once more. 

~

“You’re fuckin’ _dead._ ”

Caleb’s eyes widened, and they stumbled back a few steps, before turning on one foot, and taking off. They could hear the man begin to follow, heavier footsteps loud on the sidewalk-- but Caleb was faster, lighter, more used to running. Street by street, sign by sign, Caleb runs through the slums of Los Santos, trying to shake their tail in the maze. But still, he chased. 

Eventually, Caleb thinks they’ve lost him, so they make their way to the others. They slide into the home-alley, greeting their friends easily-- but something makes them freeze. 

“Finally-- I’ve got you fuckin’ cornered, faggot.”

The man growled, sliding a gun out of his jacket and aiming it at the four. Caleb blanches, and ushers the other three behind them, standing in front of their friends protectively. 

“This oughtta fuckin’ teach kids like you to try and scam me outta my hard-earned money.” He seethed, stepping closer to the huddling group each second. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill-”

 _BANG._

The man’s threat was cut off by a gunshot, and the four cowered, thinking he had fired the gun. When none of them registered being hit, they perked up, and blanched. 

The man had been shot by someone else, and was now facedown on the dirty, damp pavement. The newcomers, a tall, intimidating woman with a shorter blond man behind her, sneered down at the body, before looking back up. The woman lowered the still-smoking gun, and met each of the fours’ gazes. 

“ _Follow me._ ” She speaks. The four stiffen, eyes wide and jaws loose from shock. 

“Aw, Jack, I hate it when you do that!” The blond gripes, flopping against Jack dramatically. “You know I don't know Greek yet, how could you?”

“Gavin, please. We’ll teach you Greek soon enough. Now, will you four follow us to my car?” She replied, before turning to the four huddling in the alley. It took Caleb a moment to move, but when they did, they nodded tightly. 

“ _Who… who are you?_ ” Caleb asked, helping the others up. 

“ _Hestia. And this is_ Loki.” She explained, pointing to Gavin. “He obviously doesn't know Ancient Greek yet, so let's stick to English for now. Who are you four, then?” Jack asked, making sure the four were okay before leading the way to her car. 

“Hermes.” Caleb spoke up first. 

“Prometheus.” Matt called out from the back. 

“Hephaestus.” Jeremy said, and finally-

“The Nemean Dragon. Are we gonna all fit in your car?” Kdin asked, brow scrunched up in concern. Jack paused, processing the names before nodding. 

“I brought reinforcements.”

“If you call Geoff’s stupidly annoying truck reinforcements.” Gavin barked out, arms crossed in faux consternation. Jack laughed, straight from her belly, and got the keys out of her pocket. 

“Yeah, this thing is obnoxious. Did you expect anything else from Geoff?” She asked back. 

Jeremy watched the back-and-forth with wide eyes, trying to place where he knew the names from. It took him another minute, before he gasped. “Wait, Geoff- Fake AH Crew Geoff?” He asked. 

Jack glanced into the rear-view mirror as she pulled out into the street, and nodded. “Geoff’s the boss, I'm his second.” She explained. A wide-eyed Jeremy turned to Matt, who shared his awe. “I take it you guys know of us?” Jack asked, and laughed again when it was met with furious nods. “Fans?” More nods. “Glad to hear it.” 

The four shuffle closer together in the back seat, their excitement almost palpable in the air.


	8. fakehaus & mica.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all of fakehaus, with mica tossed in. there's basically a list of who is who at the bottom of the chapter, if you ever need to refer back to it. also, I am now taking requests! If you have something you wanna see with these nerds, feel free to comment or send me a PM.

Jeremy and Matt are lounging lazily, enjoying the post-heist day buzz with each other on the main living room couch, when Jeremy’s phone buzzes. It's Mica, a friend of theirs from another crew in another city. She’s like them, she was once Clymene. 

[msg received: mica]: new crew headed your way. looks like one of us, not sure. they have /\

Jeremy pales, and Matt sits up and tugs Jeremy's hand over to him to read the message. 

“Oh my god. I didn't think Peake had a crew.” Matt breaks the silence. 

“Neither did I. Must be new, or he's really fuckin’ good at hiding them.” Jeremy replies, before standing up and helping Matt to his feet. “C’mon, let's go tell Geoff.” 

They head down the hall to the main bedroom, knocking once, and entering when they get the ok. Geoff, Jack, and Michael are tangled up, relaxing on the rather massive bed. Jack shuffles up towards the pillows so she doesn't have to strain her neck to look at the two guys. “What's up? You comin’ to join us?” She asks with a grin. Michael laughs into Geoff’s stomach, and turns over. 

“I wish. We might have a problem- or some new friends.” Jeremy replies, toeing his shoes off and sitting cross-legged on the foot of the bed. Matt flops down and shuffles against Jack’s available side, but keeps his face available to the others. 

“Friends? The fuck you talkin’ about?” Michael asks, face scrunched up. Geoff’s remained silent, but Jeremy knows he's listening. 

“Mica texted me a few minutes ago, saying we've got a new crew headed our way. She said they might be gods, but she's not sure. And… well, they've got Peake.” 

The silence that falls on the bedroom is deafening, until the bathroom door bursts open, and Ryan comes through- hair wildly out of place and face paint smeared everywhere. 

“They have Peake?!” He shrieks, eyes wide with fear. Geoff sits up now, shuffling up the bed to sit cross legged. Jack gestures for a shocked Ryan to come over and sit in the newly available space, so he does. Michael eventually speaks up. 

“Well, I feel fuckin’ stupid. Who the hell is Peake?” He asks. Ryan shudders, and slowly takes a deep breath, before answering. 

“He's a mercenary- or, at least, he was. A really good merc. Better than me. His torture methods…” Ryan shudders again, eyes wild and dark. “The only thing he ever left behind was the head. With his symbol carved into the forehead.” 

“What's the symbol?”

Instead of answering, Ryan brings his hands up to chest level, steepling the tips of his fingers up in an upside-down V. Michael studies the symbol, and eventually nods. 

“Didn't Mica say that they might be gods? Maybe we’ll be able to- if not be friends, at least have them leave us alone.” Jack speaks up.

“I wouldn't be surprised if Peake was a god. His symbol has been around for centuries.” Ryan explains. Jeremy glances over at Geoff, who had remained silent the entire conversation. 

“Geoff? Whatcha thinkin’?” Jeremy asks. Geoff hums, and the far-away look in his eyes sharpens into clarity. 

“Jack's right. We might be able to negotiate if they're one of us.” 

They eventually all agree to the plan. 

~

It's Jack and Michael and Lindsay who end up finding them first, a few weeks later. The three are out on a date at a local coffee shop, quietly teaching Lindsay Ancient Greek. 

“Obviously, a mortal hearing full-blown god-speak would end up with them dying or going insane- that's why we’re speaking so quietly. You'll be able to practice a little better back at the penthouse.” Jack supplied, squeezing Lindsay’s hand lightly. 

“Yeah, Egyptian’s pretty much the same. The last time I spoke Old Egyptian around a mortal, their ears bled until they ended up going deaf. I was run outta that town pretty damn fast.” Lindsay laughed, bumping knees with Michael, who nudged right back. 

“Okay- you already know my name. Now try Michael’s- _Ares._ ” 

Lindsay's brow furrows in concentration, turning inwards to study her vast knowledge of languages in order to make the word sound right. Jack glanced up as she saw movement, smiling lightly at the pretty young woman who sat near them. 

“Can you say it again, Jack?” Lindsay asked. 

“Ares.” Jack repeated, not noticing the woman jolt her head up. 

“Hm. _A- aaar- aaaaareeee-_ ”

“ _Ares._ ” Lindsay was interrupted by a new voice, making the three jerk up in surprise. The young woman from before had sat up, and was turned to the trio, a watery, hopeful smile in place. 

Michael was the one to break the silence. “You too, huh?” The woman nodded. “Well c’mon, pull a chair over, introduce yourself.” The woman smiled wider, and did as asked. 

“Hi- my name’s Elyse- but at one point I was _Thalia._ ” The newly-introduced Elyse said, glancing between everyone excitedly. 

Jack grinned. “Oh, a muse! I haven't met one of you in centuries. Well, I'm Jack, the one formerly known as Hestia. You already said Michael’s name-” Here, Jack gestured to Michael, who gave a goofy grin. “And this is our resident Egyptian goddess of felines, who now goes by Lindsay.” She introduced easily.

The four chatter easily, catching up and sharing memories and enjoying being close to one another. What feels like centuries later, Jack gets a text from Geoff. 

[msg received: geoff]: where are you fucks?? thought it was a date, not you three running away

Jack rolls her eyes fondly, making the conversation pause. 

“Who’s that?” Elyse asks, peering down at the phone, and back up to Jack. 

“Crew boss, wondering where we are.” Elyse tilts her head curiously. “We run a gang in Los Santos, called the Fake AH Crew.” Jack explained. 

Elyse chuckled. “I've heard of you guys- we were told about you on our way here.”

“We?” Lindsay asked. 

“The crew I'm in. We kinda based our name off of yours, even though we barely ever use it- we’re Fakehaus.” Elyse paused as her phone rang, and she read the name. “And that's my boss, Bruce. Hold on,” Elyse answered the call. “Hey Bruce. Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I found more. A lot more. No. Yes.” Here, she pulled her phone away, and looked at Jack. “You guys free this afternoon?” Jack nodded, and Elyse returned to the call. “This afternoon is fine. Greek, Egyptian-” Elyse glanced at the trio, looking for any information. 

“Norse.” Michael provided. 

“And Norse. The coffee shop just south of downtown. Yeah. Alright, see you soon.” Elyse hung up, and turned to the trio once more. “They'll be here in about ten minutes.” She explained. The three others nodded excitedly. 

~

It's a rather large group of well-built men that bustles in fifteen minutes later. Jack counts seven guys in total, and if that's it for their crew, she feels sorry for Elyse. 

Elyse gives them a wave, and their intimidating looks fade away as they shuffle over and arrange themselves around the table. Jack sees the way they lean towards Elyse, smiling helplessly when she looks at them, and Jack doesn't feel as sorry for her. 

“That's Bruce,” Elyse points to the solidly built man with an impressive beard. “He's technically the crew boss, even though the crew doesn't really work like that.”

“God, it's such a relief to meet other gods- these nerds were getting so boring.” Bruce whines, drawing a laugh from the Fakes, but faux gasps of shock from the others. “I was Kratos at one point.” He explains. “And like Elyse said, I’m technically the crew boss, but we don’t really work on a hierarchy like that.”

As the others introduced themselves, Jack realized she had never actually replied to Geoff.

[msg sent: geoff]: found new gods, comin over soon

[msg received: geoff]: damn, that was fast. how many?

[msg sent: geoff]: 8 total

[msg received: geoff]: ok, i'll make sure every1’s home 

Jack finally looked back up, and slid into the conversation easily. 

~

“Geoff, we're home! We brought more strays!” Jack called out as she kicked her shoes off and dropped the keys on the kitchen counter. A muffled squawk could be heard, followed by someone running towards them. A disheveled Geoff appeared at the end of the hall, eyes wide and smile bright on his face. 

“Hey, welcome home. I may have accidentally chucked a few pieces of wet bread at Gavin before I got here, but don't worry about it.” He casually said as he walked up and pressed a kiss to Jack’s cheek. He looked over the new gods, studying them closely. “Damn. Alright, c’mon in, and we’ll get names figured out.”

Geoff led the way for everyone down the hall, into the main living room, where a red-faced Gavin was clutching to Ryan’s side. 

“Geoff, why.” Ryan complained, running a hand down Gavin’s back. Geoff just grinned cheekily, and gestured for everyone to find a seat. 

“Okay, let's get names. I'm Geoff, I once was Metis.”

“Jack, also Hestia.”

“Ryan, Nemesis.”

“Gavin, Loki.”

“Ray, Pasithea.”

“Michael, Ares.”

“Lindsay, Bastet.”

“Matt, Prometheus.”

“Jeremy, Hephaestus.”

“And that's everyone from my crew- at least, that could make it on time. We’ve got a few more stragglers that live throughout the city. What about you guys?” Geoff asks. 

“I'm Bruce, I was once Kratos.”

“Adam, Aidos.”

“James, Momus.”

“Elyse, Thalia.”

“Joel, Euterpe.”

“Spoole, Hedone.”

“Lawrence, Coeus.”

“Matt, Forseti.”

“Good lord, another Matt? What is that, three? Four?” Gavin spoke up, scrunching his face overdramatically. 

“Most people just call me by my last name, Peake.” Matt responded. At the name, the room went silent, a few of the crew glancing over at a pale-looking Ryan. “Oh. I take it some of you guys have heard of me?” Peake asked. 

“Y-yeah. You're pretty big in the assassin scene, Peake. I go by the Vagabond, the one just below you.” Ryan stuttered out, trying to avoid meeting Peake’s gaze but not being able to completely look away. 

“Oh, wow- I'm glad we’re on the same side, then.” Peake responded with a small smile, making the tension in the room leak away. After a moment, Ryan cracked a smile as well, finally meeting Peake’s eyes. 

“Yeah. Me too.”


End file.
